Photo by: Hunter Dyke/Utah Athletics
What They're Saying: Trip to Tucson
11/15/2023 9:01 PM | Football
Utes look to get back on track in final road game of regular season
SALT LAKE CITY – It was a tale of two halves last Saturday for the Utah Football team up in Seattle.
Playing in tough road environment with a sellout crowd, Utah led No. 5 Washington 28-24 at halftime after putting up 306 total yards of offense. But the final 30 minutes didn't pan out how the visitors hoped as the Utes departed Husky Stadium with a 35-28 setback.
There's been plenty of time spent watching film in the meantime, and now its on to another key road matchup with No. 17 Arizona.
"You watch the tape, figure out your deficiencies and what you have to work on," head coach Kyle Whittingham said on Monday. "I've said the same thing the last couple losses; don't let the same team beat you twice and avoid the hangover. We lean on the leadership of the team a lot and we lean on the coaches to set the tempo, set the mindset and move forward."
As Utah gets ready to face the Wildcats, linebackers coach Colton Swan, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, quarterback Bryson Barnes and linebacker Levani Damuni visited with the local media.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Colton Swan | Linebackers Coach
On the linebackers' performance at Washington…
"I thought the group did extremely well. I thought Levani Damuni had a really good game. Obviously it sucks to come home with a loss, but he played really well and has been playing well and getting better every week. That's part of the deal, finding ways to get better every week. As we're moving forward, you can't let a loss beat you twice. As a group, that's what we focus on. I tell our guys that a lot of the energy feeds off the linebackers. We're pretty much in the middle of the defense. There's guys all around us…we control a lot of the tempo and energy. It's important for the linebackers to bring that to practice every day."
On how it impacts the linebackers when quarterbacks get the ball out quick…
"It's tough, because (those QBs) are really good at what they do. As a linebacker, we're hybrids. We have to defend the run as well as the pass. We have to decipher the difference between the two, and we need to do it quickly. When we make that decision and get our hat reads off the offensive linemen, we have to be able to transition into the pass or run very fast… The RPO scheme makes it tough on a linebacker…The linebackers have to be very smart with their eye progression in order to make plays."
On Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita…
"He's very talented. He gets the ball out very quickly. It's a run-pass option, and if you make the wrong decision, he'll make you pay for it. We have to be sound and execute our assignments perfectly. We have to be able to read our keys and make sure we're assignment-sound out there."
Freddie Whittingham | Tight Ends Coach
On Landen King's growth…
"Landen has really taken advantage of his opportunity…Landen stepped up and he's doing a great job for us. I'm seeing a lot of athleticism. He's got great length, he's very good in the throw game as a receiving tight end. And, I see a lot of want-to with his blocking; he's very aggressive with his blocking. He does need to add some weight…That's something he'll need to do now and during the offseason to become a true, every-down tight end. But he's been great. He's stepped right in and we haven't skipped a beat on offense."
On King's personality…
"He's got a lot of personality, which I love. He's been contagious, rubbing off on the guys around him with his energy. It's not just when he scores touchdowns. He'll take a flat pass in practice, run 60 yards full speed up the sideline. He's always the first one to go celebrate with his teammates when they make a big play, or help (a teammate) off the ground. That energy and that personality is infectious, and I would never do anything to put a damper on that with him."
On Miki Suguturaga's first touchdown…
"I was really proud of him. It was a route that was designed to potentially go to him if the coverage was right. I had all the confidence in the world that he was going to catch the football and do what he did. You saw the reaction from his teammates on that touchdown. The whole team celebrated with Miki. He's a very team-first guy. He'll do whatever we ask him to do. The dirty work: the play-action pass protection, the away blocks in split zone…whatever he's asked to do, he embraces it and does it with a smile on his face. He does it the best he can. To see him get rewarded with that touchdown was very gratifying."
Bryson Barnes | QB | Jr.
On getting back on track this week…
"You can be talking about morale, but we're here to win football games. We're not just here for the heck of it. We're out here to win football games. (Arizona) is the team we have coming up this week, and we have to go 1-0."
On Ja'Quinden Jackson…
"The dude is just an absolute warrior. He's been getting banged up a little bit, having to sit out some plays. But he keeps battling back and doing what's best for the team. He keeps being diligent and hard-working in the training room. It's good to have him out there on the field."
Levani Damuni | LB | Jr.
On how his role has changed recently…
"I've been able to play a few more snaps. It gave me the opportunity to be a little more vocal as well, and stepping up into a leadership role."
On now playing in his home state of Utah…
"I've loved it. It's been great seeing my family on the weekends, being able to go home when we have early (game times). It's been great. It's the whole reason I wanted to come closer to home."
FOLLOW US!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program during its journey through the 2023 season, follow the Utes on social media along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com.
Twitter: @Utah_Football
Instagram: @UtahFootball
Threads: @UtahFootball
Facebook: Utah Football
TikTok: @Utah_Football
UP NEXT
Utah will remain on the road this week as they take on the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 18 in Tucson. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Networks.
Playing in tough road environment with a sellout crowd, Utah led No. 5 Washington 28-24 at halftime after putting up 306 total yards of offense. But the final 30 minutes didn't pan out how the visitors hoped as the Utes departed Husky Stadium with a 35-28 setback.
There's been plenty of time spent watching film in the meantime, and now its on to another key road matchup with No. 17 Arizona.
"You watch the tape, figure out your deficiencies and what you have to work on," head coach Kyle Whittingham said on Monday. "I've said the same thing the last couple losses; don't let the same team beat you twice and avoid the hangover. We lean on the leadership of the team a lot and we lean on the coaches to set the tempo, set the mindset and move forward."
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As Utah gets ready to face the Wildcats, linebackers coach Colton Swan, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, quarterback Bryson Barnes and linebacker Levani Damuni visited with the local media.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Colton Swan | Linebackers Coach
On the linebackers' performance at Washington…
"I thought the group did extremely well. I thought Levani Damuni had a really good game. Obviously it sucks to come home with a loss, but he played really well and has been playing well and getting better every week. That's part of the deal, finding ways to get better every week. As we're moving forward, you can't let a loss beat you twice. As a group, that's what we focus on. I tell our guys that a lot of the energy feeds off the linebackers. We're pretty much in the middle of the defense. There's guys all around us…we control a lot of the tempo and energy. It's important for the linebackers to bring that to practice every day."
On how it impacts the linebackers when quarterbacks get the ball out quick…
"It's tough, because (those QBs) are really good at what they do. As a linebacker, we're hybrids. We have to defend the run as well as the pass. We have to decipher the difference between the two, and we need to do it quickly. When we make that decision and get our hat reads off the offensive linemen, we have to be able to transition into the pass or run very fast… The RPO scheme makes it tough on a linebacker…The linebackers have to be very smart with their eye progression in order to make plays."
On Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita…
"He's very talented. He gets the ball out very quickly. It's a run-pass option, and if you make the wrong decision, he'll make you pay for it. We have to be sound and execute our assignments perfectly. We have to be able to read our keys and make sure we're assignment-sound out there."
Freddie Whittingham | Tight Ends Coach
On Landen King's growth…
"Landen has really taken advantage of his opportunity…Landen stepped up and he's doing a great job for us. I'm seeing a lot of athleticism. He's got great length, he's very good in the throw game as a receiving tight end. And, I see a lot of want-to with his blocking; he's very aggressive with his blocking. He does need to add some weight…That's something he'll need to do now and during the offseason to become a true, every-down tight end. But he's been great. He's stepped right in and we haven't skipped a beat on offense."
On King's personality…
"He's got a lot of personality, which I love. He's been contagious, rubbing off on the guys around him with his energy. It's not just when he scores touchdowns. He'll take a flat pass in practice, run 60 yards full speed up the sideline. He's always the first one to go celebrate with his teammates when they make a big play, or help (a teammate) off the ground. That energy and that personality is infectious, and I would never do anything to put a damper on that with him."
On Miki Suguturaga's first touchdown…
"I was really proud of him. It was a route that was designed to potentially go to him if the coverage was right. I had all the confidence in the world that he was going to catch the football and do what he did. You saw the reaction from his teammates on that touchdown. The whole team celebrated with Miki. He's a very team-first guy. He'll do whatever we ask him to do. The dirty work: the play-action pass protection, the away blocks in split zone…whatever he's asked to do, he embraces it and does it with a smile on his face. He does it the best he can. To see him get rewarded with that touchdown was very gratifying."
Bryson Barnes | QB | Jr.
On getting back on track this week…
"You can be talking about morale, but we're here to win football games. We're not just here for the heck of it. We're out here to win football games. (Arizona) is the team we have coming up this week, and we have to go 1-0."
On Ja'Quinden Jackson…
"The dude is just an absolute warrior. He's been getting banged up a little bit, having to sit out some plays. But he keeps battling back and doing what's best for the team. He keeps being diligent and hard-working in the training room. It's good to have him out there on the field."
Levani Damuni | LB | Jr.
On how his role has changed recently…
"I've been able to play a few more snaps. It gave me the opportunity to be a little more vocal as well, and stepping up into a leadership role."
On now playing in his home state of Utah…
"I've loved it. It's been great seeing my family on the weekends, being able to go home when we have early (game times). It's been great. It's the whole reason I wanted to come closer to home."
FOLLOW US!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program during its journey through the 2023 season, follow the Utes on social media along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com.
Twitter: @Utah_Football
Instagram: @UtahFootball
Threads: @UtahFootball
Facebook: Utah Football
TikTok: @Utah_Football
UP NEXT
Utah will remain on the road this week as they take on the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 18 in Tucson. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Networks.
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